Total Termite Management

Termites

Please do contact Major’s if you have any concerns of Termite activity in your premises. In a few short hours, our Trained Technicians will be able to give you a Comprehensive Report on the actual status. If Termites are detected during our inspection process, we will offer you a solution to the situation. If no Termites are detected, you can certainly have peace of mind that your valuable possession is safe at that point in time. In this situation, we can offer to put in place a Surveillance Programme to constantly be your “lookout or sentry” to continuously protect your assets. If you intent buying a new property, call in Major’s to have that property checked and have it Certified Termite Free prior to committing to purchase. This prudent action will save you a lot of heartaches and money. Likewise, if you intent selling your property, call in Major’s to have it Certified Termite Free as this will certainly enhance the value of your property as well as give the purchaser the comfort that he is getting a good buy. In the event that Termites are found during our inspection, we can eradicate them prior to you selling the property and this will work well for all the parties involved.

Kind acknowledgments to YouTube and National Geographic.

Thermal Imaging

Our Latest Weapon in the Battle against Termites

Thermal Imaging Equipment

Thermal Imaging has been around for a very long time and has numerous applications. One important use is to detect thermal anomalies in walls, roofs, ceilings, floorings, etc. The Thermal Images will show up the presence of moisture in buildings. When the building cools after having been under a thermal load, the wet or damp areas will cool slower than the dry areas. This will show up as “hot spots” on the thermal images. These hot spots could be one of many things ie. water leaking from pipes, steam leaking, water seepage through cracks, water seeping through cracks, etc.

The fact that Thermal Images can detect wet or damp areas in the walls, ceilings, roofs & floorings etc. is extremely important information as this would allow the Trained Pest Control Technician to narrow down or zoom into the most likely areas where the termites could be harbouring.
The Infrared Camera is totally safe in the hands of a Trained Technician. With this equipment, we do away with all guesswork and this saves all parties time and there will be no more “knocking and poking” to find weaknesses in structures. The Client is able to witness or see the actual problem and hence decisions can be made on facts. The findings and reports are generated instantly for the perusal of the Client.

Termatrac T1R

Termatrac Device

The other condition required to further narrow down the presence of Subterranean Termites is from the temperature variations which will be shown up on the Thermal Imaging Camera. Studies have confirmed that Termites thrive in a temperature range of 23°C to 33°C.

When this range of temperature coincides with the wet or damp area, the Trained Technician will mark these spots as “high risk” areas. As there is still no confirmation that it is Termites at this point in time, we will use an equipment known as “Termatrac” to confirm if “any movements” can be detected at the high risk areas. Termatrac is a patented technology that emits a specific microwave signal that penetrates most building materials. If this microwave signal is interrupted by termite or other insect pest activity, the liquid crystal display will alert the pest inspection professional. This information will assist the trained professional in:

Tracking the extent of their activity without disturbances

Tracking termite entry points

Determining the extent of infestation

Determining the most suitable treatment procedure

Facilitating post-treatment confirmation of effectiveness

Termite Detection System

Carbon Dioxide Termite Detection System

Finally, to confirm the presence of live Subterranean Termites, we will use the new equipment known as Carbon Dioxide Termite Detection System (TDS). We will use this equipment to take a passive reading of Carbon Dioxide in the house first and use this for calibration. Any increase above the control reading will indicate an active termite infestation. This system detects active termites only. It is a known fact that termites emit vast amounts of carbon dioxide and this equipment will pick up the presence of as little as 3 termites.

On confirmation of the problem by Major’s Pest, the Client will be presented with how we intent to manage/control/eradicate and finally offer a mutually agreeable routine surveillance programme for long term protection and peace of mind.

Major’s Termite Baiting System (MTBS)

Subterranean termites cause a lot of damage each year to homes, historical structures, and commercial buildings. In addition to buildings, termites also consume valuable books, documents and photographs. A great deal of their success can be attributed to their cooperative behaviour. Subterranean termites are social insects. This means that they live in family groups called colonies.

Subterranean termites live underground, hence their name. They forage by digging a network of tunnels within the soil and come in contact with food sources in the process. The foraging range of a single termite colony is difficult to predict. Some larger colonies may forage over areas the size of a football field. However, depending on the season or weather, they may not forage over their entire range at all times. Also, several smaller colonies may cover a greater foraging distance than one large colony.

Latest trend in subterranean termite management is the introduction of baiting technology. Baiting is seen as a more efficient and better treatment option compared to the older traditional methods for quite obvious reasons. Rampant use of liquid chemical in insect control work has proven to cause detrimental effects not only to the environment but also to living organisms and is a serious cause of concern for human safety. Apart from these, the use of newer and so called “safer insecticides” does not confer long term protection against subterranean termite attack. Widespread use of insecticides in insect control work has also lead to the development of insecticide resistance in insects.

The concept of BAITING works on 3 main principles:

Termite Interception

Termites are baited effectively by taking advantage of the fact that termites continually forage for food in the earth around their nest. Depending on the species, points of termite interception may be located either in the ground around the structure or within the affected building above ground if termites can be located there. If a food substance is placed at each interception point and there are colonies nearby, the termites will eventually find the food source and consume it at one or more interception points.

Avoid Termite Disturbance

Our In-ground stations used must be large in size. This will facilitate the inspection of the stations for termite activity without causing disturbance to termites. Should termites be found inside the stations, introduction of the bait matrix into the stations can be carried out easily without disturbing the termites as well. Termites do not like to be disturbed and may even leave the station when disturbed. The bait matrix used is designed to be palatable (attractive) for the termites, as such, when the bait is introduced, the termites switch from feeding on the Interceptors to feeding on the bait.

Using the Correct Toxicant

The type of Active Ingredient (Al) used is important in determining effective colony elimination. If the A.l is fast acting, the termites that find the bait inside the stations would consume it and die immediately. Other colony members that now arrive at the bait station looking for food would find their nest members dead. These new members would quickly realize that the bait was causing the deaths of their mates, and as a result avoid consuming the bait, i.e. bait shyness. Thus the A.l used in the baits is of the slow-acting type. Termites consuming the bait are thus able to leave the station before being affected by the A.l. These termites then deliver the food (Bait) back to the other colony members. Being slow-acting, the rest of the colony would not be able to learn to avoid consuming the bait because they cannot connect the link between the deaths of colony members with consumption of the bait.

Major’s Surveillance Programme

Upon total eradication of the Termite Colony, we will put in place a Surveillance Programme that can vary from an Annual Contract to as many years as the Client wants at an agreed pricing. The regular inspections will give the Client peace of mind that Trained Personnel continue to keep vigilance. This is very important as we may have destroyed ONE COLONY of Termites in the initial instance. However, there have been many cases of properties having multiple termite nests and termites from these nests do emerge in some unforeseen circumstances. You must note that Baiting of any form will destroy the Main Nest and it’s Sub Nests as they are connected. However, Baiting will not destroy Multiple Nests as they are not connected and they have a complete colony of Queen, Soldiers and Workers. To prevent this unfortunate situation, we strongly recommend that Clients continue the Surveillance Programme with us for complete satisfaction.

Formation of new colonies intercepted and eradicated at early stage before infestation sets-in by a continuous monitoring process using in-ground bait stations

It is a Pro-Active treatment. Termites that are foraging near your building will be intercepted and baited before they attack your building

Termite Baiting is Environmentally Friendly

Contract period for Baiting is Renewable. Unlike Corrective Soil Treatment, this system can be maintained after the Initial Contract Period of 5 years. This only involves the replacement of the baits that get eaten up during our service visits. This eliminates the need to carry out the very expensive and time consuming Slab Injection treatment after the expiry of the Soil Treatment contract. The termite barrier is incomplete as the drilling and filling will only give but 50% chemical barrier coverage